Beriev Be-14

[Julien]

Beriev Be-14

1:144 Amodel

No major power seems to have embraced large size flying boats post WWII except the old USSR. They believed they still had a strategic place in their military, and development was undertaken on numerous types, including the weird and wonderful Ekranoplans. I have never really understood why they never had a place in the west especially for Air Sea Rescue (ASR).

The Be-14 was a one off version of the Be-12 Chaka (Seagull) which had the stunningly dull NATO reporting name “Mail”. This version was developed for all weather, day/night Search and Rescue (SAR), and carried additional SAR and medical equipment, some of which was pylon mounted in the form of air dropped life rafts. Only one example was built, as the extensive changes necessary to meet the required specification (including removal of the main weapons bay, installation of a floor inside the fuselage and removal of the MAD detector boom) proved to be too costly. It's strange to note that the box art shows an aircraft with a tail mounted MAD boom which was fitted to the Be-12 but removed on the Be-14. Have no worries though - the plastic in the box is correct for a Be-14.

These big Soviet flying boats have long been neglected by the model kit world, but thankfully Amodel have now jumped in, providing us with some new toolings . It's also good that they are in 1:144 as in 1:72 they are would be pretty big, perhaps limiting their market somewhat (though it is rumoured Trumpeter will do a Be-12). Amodel have 3 versions of the Be-12 on which it is based, and this Be-14 available in this scale.

All the parts come bagged in a ziplock bag in a fairly decent top opening box. Even in 1:144 the Model has a wingspan of 21cms and a length of 18cms. The plastic is dark grey and features finely engraved panel lines, and the quality of the moulding is very good. There is no evidence of any mould mismatch and very little flash present. Aside from the cockpit there is no interior at all, which is somewhat surprising as there is a lot of glazing for the Be-14. Although not much would have been needed, a couple of bulkheads and a floor would have been nice, and none too difficult or costly to include. The open main wheel housings have some ribbed detail, and when combined with the detailed landing gear should look good.

Cockpit details are a bit sparse, consisting of 2 seats and control columns only, this is 1:144 after all, and as not much will be seen through the small windows it will suffice I would think. In a somewhat novel approach the cockpit seems to be completed as a module complete with glazing, and then dropped into the "hole". I am not sure how practical this will be.

Two identical sprues for the turo prop engine details are provided, these also contain other duel components such as landing gear parts, and the wing mounted floats. The engine nacelles are nice mouldings and when combined with the other engine parts seem to exactly replicate the the distinctive look of the engines on these aircraft.

What is nice is that some of finer details including hull strakes are on a small etched fret, which also provides parts for the landing gear. Its nice for a flying boat model to come with landing gear, even more so in this scale. There are a lot of small parts for the main gear which accurately reflect the real thing. This looks fiddly to assemble but I am sure will make the model look more life like so will be well worth the effort.

The instructions seem very clear and also give details for the decals and painting. As only one Be-14 was made you get decals for that one only, unless you fancy doing a what-if, in which case you're on your own. The decals appear to be thin, in register and with minimal carrier film. I have no experience of Amodel decals, or know who makes them, but they do look good. Clear parts are a bit thick and the 2-part nose should be fun, however it should present no major problems providing you are careful with the glue.

Conclusion

All in all this is a very nice kit of an aircraft that is far from mainstream, but I find great to model. At £17 I think they are good value for money and I shall certainly be adding the other 3 Be-12 kits to my stash to accompany this one.

This kit is from the depths of my stash. They are available from Hannants and no doubt other online retailers.